The present invention relates to heatsinks and a method of cooling heat dissipating electronic components such as electronic circuit modules/packages. More particularly, the invention is a phase change heat exchanger combining a heatsink and a phase change fluid cooling system for increased heat rejection capability. Fin efficiency of the heatsink is increased to enhance heat transfer and reduce thermal resistance.
The speed and power capabilities of electronic circuit modules are severely limited without an efficient mechanism to transfer heat therefrom. A known solution to this problem is to cool the electronics package using a fin heatsink. A conventional fin heatsink has a base, which can be formed of solid metal or with a vapor chamber, and fins attached to the base. The fins are typically constructed fiom parallel plates or folded fins. One end of the fins is attached to the base. An example of the prior art fin heatsink is depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings wherein a heatsink 1 comprises a base 2 formed of copper, either solid or containing a vapor chamber therein, and fins 3. The fins 3 are copper folded fins in the heatsink 1, but other fin constructions such as parallel plates may be used.
A problem with these conventional fin heatsinks used in electronics package cooling is their limited heat rejection capability. There is a need for a more efficient heat transfer mechanism which will provide increased heat rejection capability in electronics package cooling as compared with the conventional heatsinks.
Conventional vapor chambers used in heatsink bases to reduce the spreading resistance of the heatsink bases have not been found to provide significant thermal improvement for most processor cooling applications compared with the use of solid copper or even solid aluminum heatsink bases. In addition, a minor manufacturing fault during the fabrication of the conventional vapor chambers may result in a complete non-operation of the thermal solution. There is a need for a more reliable heat transfer system and method for cooling electronic components.
The present invention addresses these problems. Features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, two example embodiments in accordance with the present invention.